224  
ACUS01 KWNS 070533  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 070532  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1232 AM CDT THU MAY 07 2026  
 
VALID 071200Z - 081200Z  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST  
ALABAMA INTO PORTIONS OF SOUTH GEORGIA AND NORTH FLORIDA...INCLUDING  
THE PANHANDLE...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
WIDELY SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WINDS AND A  
COUPLE TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA, AND  
PORTIONS OF SOUTH GEORGIA AND NORTH FLORIDA, INCLUDING THE  
PANHANDLE. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN  
PARTS OF THE CAROLINAS, AS WELL AS THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND  
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.  
   
..SYNOPSIS  
 
SEPARATE VORTICITY MAXIMA OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND RATON MESA  
VICINITY THIS EVENING ARE FORECAST TO PHASE WHILE PROGRESSING  
THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF BROADER-SCALE TROUGHING PRESENT  
ACROSS EASTERN CANADA INTO THE OH VALLEY AND NORTHEAST. THAT PATTERN  
EVOLUTION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MORE SUBSTANTIAL HEIGHT FALLS FROM THE  
MID-ATLANTIC INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND SOUTHEAST ON  
THURSDAY. STRONG, MID/UPPER-LEVEL FLOW WILL BE MAINTAINED WITHIN THE  
BASE OF THE DEEPENING TROUGH FROM THE LOWER-MS VALLEY INTO THE  
SOUTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC REGION.  
 
AT THE SURFACE, A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO INITIALLY STRETCH FROM  
THE TIDEWATER REGION TO DIFFUSE LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN  
CAROLINAS INTO NORTHEAST GA, AND THEN SOUTHWEST TO THE CENTRAL GULF  
COAST. THAT BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY ADVANCE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY,  
WITH THAT FEATURE ALONG WITH ANY CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES  
SERVING AS THE FOCI FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT.  
   
..CAROLINAS TO NORTHEAST GULF COAST  
 
CONVECTION-ALLOWING MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT A  
WEST-TO-EAST-ORIENTED, PRE-FRONTAL BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE  
ONGOING AT THE START OF THE FORECAST PERIOD (07/12Z) ACROSS SOUTHERN  
AL AND THE FL PANHANDLE INTO SOUTHERN GA, ROOTED WITHIN A  
WARM-ADVECTION REGIME ALONG A 40-50 KT LOW-LEVEL JET. THE LOW-LEVEL  
JET WILL AID IN THE NORTHEASTWARD ADVECTION OF AN INCREASINGLY MOIST  
BOUNDARY LAYER FROM OFF THE NORTHEAST GULF WITH DEWPOINTS INCREASING  
INTO THE LOW 70S WITHIN THE INFLOW REGION OF THE EARLY-DAY STORMS.  
THAT MOISTURE WILL LARGELY CONTRIBUTE TO MLCAPE OF 500-1000 J/KG,  
DESPITE POOR MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES.  
 
THE PRESENCE OF THE LOW-LEVEL JET WILL SUPPORT INITIALLY STRONG  
NEAR-GROUND SHEAR (I.E., EFFECTIVE SRH OF 200-300 M2/S2) WITHIN THE  
INSTABILITY AXIS PRECEDING THE STORMS. HOWEVER, THAT FEATURE IS  
FORECAST TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN WHILE MIGRATING EAST THROUGH THE  
MORNING, WITH SEEMINGLY THE BEST TORNADO POTENTIAL EXISTING DURING  
THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. OTHERWISE, DAMAGING WIND  
GUSTS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD AS STORMS PROGRESS SOUTHEAST  
THROUGH THE LEVEL 2/SLIGHT RISK AREA.  
 
FARTHER TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NC/SC PIEDMONT AND COASTAL  
PLAIN, POOR LAPSE RATES ARE EXPECTED TO LIMIT INSTABILITY TO  
GENERALLY LESS THAN 500 J/KG. HOWEVER, DEEP-LAYER WIND FIELDS WILL  
BE STRONG, SUGGESTING THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY STRONG WIND GUSTS  
WITH ANY DEEPER CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS FORMING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE  
COLD FRONT FROM LATE MORNING INTO AFTERNOON.  
 
   
..LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/DEEP SOUTH TEXAS  
 
THERE IS A MODEL SIGNAL FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT AT THE START OF THE FORECAST PERIOD (07/12Z) WITH THE  
LOCATION OF THE STORMS VARYING FROM MODEL TO MODEL. RAP-BASED  
SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE STORMS WOULD BE SLIGHTLY ELEVATED ABOVE A  
STABLE, NEAR-SURFACE LAYER WITHIN A MODERATELY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT  
WITH MUCAPE UP TO 1000-1500 J/KG. WHILE MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AREN'T  
EXPECTED TO BE PARTICULARLY STEEP, THE PRESENCE OF 50-60+ KT  
EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR MAGNITUDES WOULD SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR  
SUPERCELL STRUCTURES CAPABLE OF ISOLATED OCCURRENCES OF LARGE HAIL  
AND LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE SEVERE-WEATHER THREAT IS EXPECT  
TO REMAIN CONFINED TO THE MORNING HOURS.  
 
..MEAD/LYONS.. 05/07/2026  
 
 
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